WWBA 16u National Championship

CEDAR
RAPIDS, Iowa (July 11, 2012) – On
July 13, 240 summer travel baseball teams will make their way to
northwest Atlanta to compete in the
2012 Perfect Game WWBA 16u National Championship. The tournament
is the fifth and final WWBA tournament being held
consecutively. Almost 500 of the nation’s top-ranked high school
baseball players will be in attendance to show off for fans, scouts
and college coaches and to help their teams fight to the championship
title.
The
event is going into its ninth year and has racked up an impressive
list of alumni. 13 current Major League players attended this
event at some point in their high school careers, including Bryce
Harper and Mike
Trout, both of whom recently participated in the 2012 MLB All-Star Game. Harper played for the San Diego Show in 2009 and was
drafted No. 1 overall in 2010 by the Washington Nationals. Trout was
a first-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009 after
playing for Tri-State Arsenal in 2008.
Overall,
660 of the event’s alumni have been drafted in the first 10 rounds
of the Major League draft.
South
Florida Elite Black won the 16u tournament in 2011 with tournament
MVP Zack
Collins, who is now the No. 13 ranked player in the 2013 class.
The organization will send two teams to compete in this year’s
event: South
Florida Elite Red and South
Florida Elite White.
The
EvoShield
Canes have a long history in the tournament, taking home the
championship in 2009 and 2010. The Canes will return with another
championship-caliber roster this year. Left-handed pitcher Justin
Bellinger played in the 18u and 17u tournaments as well as the
Junior
National Showcase last month in Minneapolis. The Vanderbilt
commit is the No. 13 ranked player in the 2014 class. Outfielders
Joseph
Jae Roberts (South Carolina recruit) and Jake
Fraley (Louisiana State) of the 2013 class will lend their
talents to the Canes’ tournament run as well.
The
WWBA 16u National Championship has grown from hosting primarily
southern teams to including some of the top teams from all over the
country. Plenty of West Coast teams will be bringing some of their
homegrown talent to the tournament. Team
California, San
Diego Show
and Norcal
Valley are among the top travel teams in California.
Norcal
Valley is bringing a loaded roster geared to make a run at the 16u
title, led by Catcher Brett
Cumberland, who has impressed scouts at previous Perfect Game
events, earning the No. 100 ranking for the class of 2014.
Marucci
Elite will come into the tournament with a talent-heavy roster. Age eligible 2013 grad Justin Williams, ranked No. 3 nationally in his class has been added to the roster. Right-handed pitchers Alex Lange and Keith
Weisenberg are ranked No. 34 and 45 in the 2014 class,
respectively. Shortstop Kirvin
Moesquit is among the top infielders in the 2014 class and is
ranked No. 49 overall. Third baseman John
Thomas Mauldin rounds out the top-ranked group, checking in at
No. 51 on the 2014 rankings.
Two-way
standout Ryder
Ryan comes in as one of the highest ranked players in the
tournament, ranked No. 5 nationally in the class of 2014. Ryan will
look to impress college coaches and scouts as he leads the South
Charlotte Panthers in their pursuit of a National Championship.
Rawlings
St. Louis Prospects will be coached by Andy Benes, the No. 1
overall pick in the 1988 MLB draft who played 14 years in the majors.
His son, shortstop Shane
Benes, will lead the team in their tournament run.
Other
teams bringing top-notch talent include: Team
Elite Grey, Tri-State
Arsenal Blue, East
Cobb Longhorns, East
Cobb Astros 15u, Dirtbags
Camo, Georgia
Roadrunners Blue 15u, Kentucky
Baseball Club Blue, Orlando
Scorpions, Palm
Beach PAL and South
Texas Sliders.
The
event has been enormously beneficial to northwest Atlanta
communities. Last year, 5,727 nights were booked during the 16u WWBA
Championship. Total economic benefit from all of the Perfect Game
WWBA Championships is estimated at $33,433,450. The number of teams
attending the event has increased from 204 to 240, which should
result in even larger economic benefits to the area this year.
The
tournament begins July 13 and runs through July 20. Every team will
play seven pool games in the first six days of the tournament.
Playoffs will begin July 18 with the top 32 teams — 30 pool winners
and two wild cards — battling to move forward towards the
championship. Rounds of 16 and 8 will begin at 9 am on July 19.
Semifinals and championship games will take place on July 20, with
the Championship game beginning at 11:30 am. The East Cobb Complex in
Marietta, Ga. will host the bulk of the games on its three fields,
with several area high schools picking up the rest of the games.
Specific
information about the event, including schedule and game locations,
are available on the 2012 WWBA 16u National Championship official event page. Game
scores and blogs will available on the website as the tournament
progresses. For fans interested in attending, a tournament pass will
cost $55. The cost per day (good for all games on one day) will be
$10. Programs will be available for $5.